NASSAU| Could somebody PLEASE tell Michael Pintard that the Privy Council has ruled in *FORRESTER BOWE AND OTHERS v COP* that the mandatory death penalty in The Bahamas is unconstitutional pursuant to Article 15 of the Constitution.
The JCPC has maneuvered around both the special and general saving clauses (especially Article 33). A death sentence can only be carried out in *THE WORST OF THE WORST* murder cases as determinedby the JCPC. Fat chance of that happening.
So supporting the death penalty is a moot point and amounts to *WHISTLING DIXIE* The media is asking Mr. Pintard the wrong question. What the media should be asking Michael Pintard is this: Does the FNM support the abolition of the *PRIVY COUNCIL.*
But beyond the JCPC, the IAHCHR presents another obstacle given their ruling on Joseph and Boyce v AG (Barbados) and the response of Justice Saunders of the CCJ. Remember IL trumps domestic law. So it is meaningless to say “we support the death penalty” knowing full well that there is no death penalty.
